The ISTC entrance exam is on July 5. You have 48 hours. This is not the time for new material. It is the time for consolidation — strengthening what you already know, identifying the three or four areas you can sharpen in two days, and beginning the process of settling down mentally so you walk into the exam hall calm and clear.
Here is how to use these 48 hours well.
What to revise — and in what order
Spend today (July 3) on Mathematics and Science. These are the two sections where targeted revision has the highest return in two days.
Mathematics — prioritise these:
- Mensuration — areas and volumes of circles, cylinders, cones, spheres, cuboids. Know your formulas cold. These questions appear every year and are among the most reliably scorable in the paper.
- Linear and quadratic equations — solving two-variable systems quickly and factorising quadratics without a calculator. Practice speed here, not new concepts.
- Basic trigonometry — sin, cos, tan values at 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, and the identity sin²θ + cos²θ = 1. Nothing beyond this.
- Percentages, ratio, and simple interest — these appear in the Aptitude section and in General Maths. Fast mental calculation wins marks here.
Science — prioritise these:
- Electricity — Ohm's Law, series vs parallel resistance calculations, power formulas (P = VI, P = I²R). These are the most frequently tested Physics topics.
- Laws of Motion — Newton's three laws, definitions of force, friction as a force. Conceptual questions, not calculations.
- Chemical reactions — balancing equations (practice 4-5 examples), acids and bases (pH scale, indicators, neutralisation). Metals and non-metals — reactivity series, basic properties.
Tomorrow (July 4) — Reasoning and GK only.
- Reasoning: number series (identify the pattern), coding-decoding, odd one out, simple analogies. Do 20-25 practice questions to warm up the pattern recognition muscle — not to learn new types.
- GK: Go through current affairs from the last 6 months — specifically science and technology news, government schemes related to education and manufacturing, basic Indian geography. Keep it to 30-45 minutes. Do not try to cover everything.
What to stop doing right now
Stop studying subjects you are weak in for the first time. If you have not covered a topic by today, starting it now creates anxiety without adding usable preparation. Focus on strengthening what you already know rather than patching what you do not.
Stop doing full-length mock tests. A complete 100-question mock today or tomorrow adds fatigue without meaningful benefit. If you want to test yourself, do a 20-question section-specific drill — not a full paper.
Stop comparing with other candidates. What anyone else has or has not covered at this stage is irrelevant to your paper. Your performance on July 5 depends only on what you know and how you manage the 100 minutes — not on what the person sitting next to you has revised.
Practical things to handle by tonight
- Download and print your admit card if you have not already — two copies
- Verify your exam centre address on Google Maps and save it offline
- Keep your Aadhaar card (original, not older than 3 years), two blue/black ball pens, and a clear water bottle ready
- If travelling to Chandigarh or Delhi from another city, confirm your travel and accommodation for tonight or tomorrow
One thing about the paper itself
The ISTC entrance exam is 100 MCQs in 100 minutes with -0.25 negative marking. The questions are at Class 10 level. The candidates who do well are not necessarily the ones who have studied the most — they are the ones who attempt what they know confidently, skip what they are genuinely unsure of, and manage the clock without panic.
At -0.25 per wrong answer, attempting 80 questions correctly beats attempting 100 with 20% uncertainty. Know your strategy going in: first pass for confident answers, second pass for considered ones, skip the rest.
You have 48 hours. Use them deliberately.
👉 Last 24 hours before the exam — the complete guide
👉 Exam day checklist — what to carry, reporting time, exam hall rules
👉 ISTC Result 2026 — merit list, cut off, counselling schedule
ISTC entrance exam helpline: 0172-2672484 / 2672485 | istc.ac.in